Ellie Bishop: Yep. Indeed Bucky does. No kidding, Laura is an excellent subversion of the whiny superhero wife trope.
Avengers Compound
Night
"Mrs. Barton," Wanda said surprised.
"Please, call me Laura," Laura said as she got to her feet.
"Sam called you, didn't he?" Wanda realized.
"He's worried about you," Laura said and Wanda sighed.
"I know he is. But he can't help me. And he shouldn't have asked a woman who doesn't even know me to come all this way," Wanda said with a pointed look at Laura.
"He didn't have to ask me, I volunteered," Laura revealed, to Wanda's surprise. "After…what happened, I asked Sam to keep me updated. When he told me you were coming home, I told him I'd talk to you."
"Why do you care so much about someone you barely know?" Wanda asked softly after a moment.
"Because my husband loved you like a daughter. And it would break his heart to see you like this," Laura said as she looked at Wanda sadly. "Breaking down doesn't make you a monster Wanda."
"When I break down, people get hurt," Wanda said bitterly as she remembered the pain she had inflicted on Laura and her children.
"Under the circumstances, no one blames you. I know what you lost Wanda, because I lost them to," Laura said as she thought of Clint and Natasha, swallowing the lump in her throat. "We're all broken, each in our own way. But we can't shut down. Our connections are what make us human. If we can't hurt, if we can't love…Thanos should have killed all of us. Its why we need to hold the people we love close."
"Everyone who loved me is gone," Wanda said quietly.
"Not everyone," Laura said and Wanda was taken back. "Sam has spent almost every day since you left trying to find you, long passed the point where anyone else would have given up. That sounds like love to me. I know you lost more than most to Thanos…but it's okay to open your heart to someone new. To let someone else love you."
Wanda was silent as she walked across the room. Laura didn't say a word, observing as Wanda sat down on the bed. As she looked at her, Laura realized for the first time how young Wanda was. She wasn't much older than Laura was when she had married Clint. She had lost too much for one so young. Laura could see why Clint had taken it upon himself to look after her.
Silently, Laura sat down next to Wanda on the bed. For a moment, it was silent.
"Do you know what Clint said to me when I asked him why he cared about you so much?" Laura asked and Wanda looked over at her. "He said 'she's just a girl who lost a lot in her life. But once you get to know her, it's hard not to love her.' You have people who still love you. No one's saying you have to be okay. Just…don't run. Let the people who love you help you. You have to let someone in Wanda."
For a long, tense moment, Wanda was silent. Then-
"I feel like it's my fault," Wanda admitted. "If I had just done what Vision asked when he asked me…"
"I read the report on Wakanda," Laura said after a moment. "You said Thanos turned back time?"
"It looked that way," Wanda said.
"Well then I don't think it would have mattered what you did. Thanos could just turn back time and get the stone. I don't think there's anything anyone could have done. You need to stop blaming yourself for everything that goes wrong," Laura said, remembering Clint talking about how Wanda would blame herself for Ultron and Lagos. "The thing about martyrs is that they're known for dying. You're still alive Wanda. You still have time to change things, to turn your life around. Don't waste it."
Los Angeles
Later that night
Near Funville, a young woman in a hoodie was walking pasted the amusement park when a Boretz demon jumped down, starling at her. It moved to bite her when she whirled around, striking it in the chest with a sword. As it squealed in pain, the young woman lowered her hood, revealing Dawn's face.
"You like killing women? Allow me to return the favor," Dawn said coolly as she twisted the sword, causing the demon to cry out in pain.
However, it then yanked the sword from Dawn's hand and yanked it out of its chest. Before it could do anything however, Spike jumped out of the shadows, wrapping his arms around the demon's neck and twisting. A crack was heard and it went limp before Spike dropped the body to the floor.
"Next time, go for the head. The heart usually only works with Vampires as a kill," Spike told her and she nodded.
"Sorry. Guess I'm a little distracted. I feel like we should be helping the others," Dawn admitted.
"Magical portals aren't really our area of expertise. And someone needed to stop this demon. Because of us, those three girls he killed didn't die for nothing," Spike said as he gestured to the dead demon. "We'll figure out a way to talk to the ghost witches, but this is a problem that couldn't wait another day."
"I guess you're right," Dawn muttered. "I just hope the others can figure it out."
At Wolfram and Hart, Angel, Willow, Fred, Faith and Lorne stood in Angel's office, discussing their current predicament.
"We just need a mystical hotspot to open a portal. I've done this before," Angel insisted.
"You've traveled to another dimension Angel. Traveling to the Netherworld is very different," Willow said tiredly.
"I have to agree with our friendly neighborhood witch. We're talking about going to the land of the dead. Doubt the powers are gonna be cool with that," Lorne pointed out.
"And even if we succeed, we may never be able to come back," Fred added.
"If any of you have any other suggestions, I'm all ears!" Angel finally snapped and the room was silent.
"Angel's right," Faith finally said and they looked over at her. "We've been looking for months and this is our only lead. We owe it to everyone not in this room to try. But Angel, they have a point."
"We're not saying it's not worth the risk. We're just saying let's do a little research before we jump into this," Fred said gently and, after a moment, Angel nodded.
"Okay. See what you can find out about the Netherworld and the Coven," Angel ordered.
Outside the office, Hamilton watched the group suspiciously. They were up to something; he could see it. He just didn't know what yet.
Avengers Compound, next day
Morning
In his office, Sam was watching a news report on Walker's murder of Rasputin when he heard someone walk in. He didn't need to turn his head to know it was Bucky.
"So what's the verdict?" Bucky asked.
"Russia is calling this an act of war while Ellis is trying to reason with the Russian President. But, considering America-Russia relations, it's not going so great. We might be looking at another Cold War," Sam sighed as he turned off the TV. "Only way to stop it is to find Walker and bring him in."
"And we will," Bucky assured him and paused. "Listen, I owe you an apology."
"You, apology? This I gotta hear," Sam joked and Bucky glared at him. "Sorry, no more jokes. Go ahead."
"When I decided to give you the shield, I don't think I stopped to think about what I was asking you to do, what it felt like for you to be handed the shield. I'm sorry," Bucky apologized.
"It's cool man. You were just trying to do right by Steve, I get it," Sam assured.
"It's just…that shield is the closest thing I've got left to a family. When you said no…I felt like I had nothing left," Bucky said and it was silent between them for a moment.
"Buck…as hard as it is to accept, Steve is gone and he's not coming back. You need to stop looking to him to tell you who you are," Sam told him gently. "You still have those nightmares?"
"Almost every night," Bucky admitted.
"And you probably will for the rest of your life. Because you're a good person who was forced to do some really terrible things. Doesn't mean it has to define you. You were the Winter Soldier, but he's in the past, you're free of him now. You need to live for the future Bucky," Sam told him.
"And how do I do that?" Bucky asked quietly.
"I can't tell you that. That's something you gotta figure out on your own," Sam told him.
Later that morning, Sam and Bucky walked into the kitchen to a surprising sight. Laura was putting some fried eggs on plates with bacon as Wanda sat at the table, eating already.
"Hope you boys are hungry, I made plenty for everyone," Laura said as she saw them.
"You didn't have to this you know, you're a guest here," Sam told her.
"I wanted to. You guys could use a good breakfast. Just think of it as a goodbye from me," Laura said.
"You're not gonna talk her out of it. Just grab a plate and say thank you," Wanda said before taking a bite of egg.
Sam and Bucky exchanged a glance. It sounded like the old Wanda. But they wouldn't push….not yet.
"Thank you Laura," Sam said as he took a plate.
"Yeah, thanks," Bucky said as he took one as well.
Laura simply smiled, turning to do dishes as Sam and Bucky sat down across from Wanda. The table was silent as the three Avengers began eating breakfast together for the first time in a long time. But, that was okay.
Wolfram and Hart
Same time
Faith was in her office, closing a book when her phone rang.
"Yeah?" Faith answered.
"Angel wants us in the conference room, now," Fred informed her.
"On my way," Faith said before hanging up.
Putting the book back on the shelf, Faith walked out of her office and headed towards the conference room. On her way, she met Hamilton.
"Anything I can help you with?" Hamilton inquired.
"Unless you want a severe beating, you can get out of my way," Faith snapped and he smiled politely.
"Of course," Hamilton said as he stepped out of her way. "We know all about your…violent tendencies Faith. Be sure to keep them in check."
Faith restrained herself from whirling around and punching Hamilton, instead heading towards the conference room. Everyone else was already there. As Faith took her seat, which was directly across from Willow, she noticed the redhead seemed tired, bags under her eyes, which were slightly glazed over. Had she gotten any sleep, Faith wondered.
"What do you have for us Willow?" Angel asked.
"Well, you were right, there is a way for us to get to the Netherworld," Willow said, having their attention immediately. "Like Angel said, we need to find a mystical hotspot and I can open a portal."
"I'm sensing a big 'but' at the end of that sentence," Spike noted.
"But, there are complications," Willow admitted.
"What kind of complications?" Fred asked wearily.
"Well for one, the moon and the stars have to be in very specific alignment, one that happens every few years," Willow explained. "Lucky for us, that alignment is tomorrow night."
"There's more, isn't there?" Dawn said uneasily and Willow nodded.
"This kind of magic, it takes a lot of power. Once we do this…I'm not sure I'll have enough power to get us back home," Willow admitted and paused.
"No. There has to be another way," Dawn said immediately.
"I have to agree with Dawn, we can't afford to lose anyone else," Lorne added.
"Don't you think if there was another way, I'd have waited before coming to you with this?" Willow snapped. "I was up all night looking and there is no other way. This is our only shot at getting in contact with the Coven."
"She's right, it's worth the risk," Angel agreed. "But, just in case we aren't able to get back, only Willow and I will go through the portal. And if we don't make it back, it's up to the rest of you to find a way to reverse this. Then you can worry about saving us."
Unspecified location
Same time
Walker stood in front of the Flag Smashers, looking down at them from a balcony. He waited a moment before speaking.
"Russia was a great victory for us. But it was only the first step. We won't accomplish real change until we go after the man responsible for all our suffering. So tonight, we will strike at the heart of all our problems! And we finally have our revenge!"
As the Flag Smashers cheered, Walker smirked, knowing it was finally time to let the world see what they could do.
Avengers Compound
Not long after
"Thank you for all your help Laura," Sam said as he, Bucky and Wanda walked her to the front entrance.
"It wasn't any trouble," Laura assured him.
"I beg to differ. You're a miracle worker," Sam said, glancing at Wanda before lowering his voice. "What did you say to her? She seems like her old self."
"She's not, none of us are. But I think she's finally ready to stop running. Take care of her," Laura said before walking over to Wanda. "Feel free to stop by the farm anytime. The kids would like to see you."
"Really?" Wanda asked skeptically and Laura chuckled.
"They have their father's heart and ability to forgive. And he would talk about you a lot, they'd like to meet the girl their dad thought so highly of," Laura said before her eyes softened. "I know we can't make up for what you've lost, but if you want, there's always a place for you in our family."
Wanda nodded, a lump in her throat. Laura gave Wanda a hug and, after a moment, Wanda returned it. Laura kissed Wanda on the cheek before detangling herself from the younger woman. Laura then walked out and three Avengers watched as she got into a taxi, stopping to wave at them one last time. She closed the door and then the taxi started the drive towards the airport.
"You gonna be okay?" Bucky asked Wanda.
"Yeah…I think so," Wanda said softly before turning to face him and Sam. "I'm sorry. I couldn't control my emotions and I hurt everyone. I thought by pulling away from you guys, by shutting down my emotions that I could protect everyone…from me."
"Thinking of yourself as a monster, trust me I get it. But you gotta let someone in," Bucky told her and Wanda smiled tightly.
"Laura said the same thing. And you're both right. I'm done running away," Wanda promised before looking at Sam. "Thank you for not giving up on me."
"Never," Sam promised.
"So, now what'd we do?" Bucky asked after a moment.
"We get to work," Sam said simply.
Later that day, Sam stood in the gym, the shield in his hand. Bucky and Wanda had helped him move all the fitness equipment out of the room, leaving only three pillars. Bucky and Sam had placed protective padding on the pillars to avoid any lasting damage to them.
Sam stood staring at the pillars for a moment before he got to work. Whirling around, Sam threw the shield at one of the pillars. However, it impacted above the padding, bouncing off and falling to the floor.
Sam threw the shield, which hit the padding this time, ricocheting off the other two pillars before flying back towards Sam. He attempted to catch it but his aim was off and he ended up pushing the shield to the floor.
Sam threw the shield again. As it ricocheted off the pillars, Sam did a somersault, using his hands to push himself back to his feet as he tried to catch it. However, he quickly realized it was going to hit his head and ducked. Instead, the shield impacted on the wall before falling to the floor. Sam looked at it in dismay for a moment before walking over and picking it back up.
The next few hours passed in a blur, Sam repeatedly throwing the shield and trying to catch it only to fail. But he never gave up, he couldn't give up.
Picking up the shield after his latest attempt, Sam thought of trying it a different way. Throwing the shield, it once again ricocheted off the pillars and game flying towards him. But rather than trying to catch it by the edges, this time he tried catching it by the handle. To his relief, he caught it.
It was progress, he thought to himself.
Sam, now standing closer to the pillars, threw the shield. As it bounced off and came sailing towards him, he caught it by the handle.
Sam ran towards the pillar before throwing the shield. It bounced off the padding before coming back towards him. Sam caught it before whirling around and throwing it back. Once again, it ricocheted off the pillar and returned to Sam's hands.
Standing at the edge of the room, Sam threw the shield at the pillars. As it bounced off them, Sam did a cartwheel, landing in a kneeling position before holding out his hands. The shield came flying back to him and he managed to finally catch it by the edges. Out of breath, Sam smiled.
He may not be a super soldier, but he knew how to handle the shield. He just hoped he could handle being Captain America.
Hope I did okay on the Wanda/Laura talk.
And Sam is finally ready to be Captain America. Just in time, because Walker's ultimate goal is about to reveal itself.